Julian graces Henley at Literary Festival

BEFORE embarking on the autumn leg of his national tour, Julian Clary will be appearing at

BEFORE embarking on the autumn leg of his national tour, Julian Clary will be appearing at the Henley Literary Festival in his capacity as an author of popular children’s books.

His joint event with illustrator David Roberts takes place at the Christ Church Centre at 10am on Wednesday, September 28, and is intended as a schools event — though a limited number of public balcony tickets have been made available by the festival organisers.

Following on from the success of 2015’s The Bolds, about a family of hyenas living in an ordinary suburban street, Clary and Roberts are coming to Henley to promote The Bolds to the Rescue, the second book in the series.

Clary, who is currently working on the third instalment, said: “They flow out of me — I don’t know where they’re all coming from. It’s delightful — I just have such a lovely time writing them.

“Making children laugh is a whole new thing for me, it’s lovely. No child pretends to laugh — it’s very genuine. It’s obviously a world away from my usual filth, but that’s liberating. A whole new world.”

Asked if he had any new characters in mind for future books, he said: “The Bolds are alive and well in my mind, so it’s all about them. It’s a bit like the Just William books, of which there were about 45. I feel like I can go on and on with them. Whether the public want me to or not.”

Tickets for Julian Clary and David Roberts are £7 and can be booked via the Henley Literary Festival website or by calling (01491) 575948 between 10am and 4pm on weekdays.